Garment-treating machine



Nov. 11, 1969 G. J- REBISCOUL 3,477,620

GARMENT --TREAT ING MACHINE Filed April 26 1968 2 Sheets-Sheetv 1 W ZN' EM OR GEEAED J. EEB/5 OU 1969 G. J. REBISICOUL cARMENTQRBATIN G MACHINE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 26 1968 United States Patent Office 3,477,620 Patented Nov. 11, 1969 3,477,620 GARMENT-TREATING MACHINE Grard Jean Rebiscoul, 20 Rue Charles Chefson 92,

Bois-Colombes, France Filed Apr. 26, 1968, Ser. No. 724,444 Claims priority, application France, May 5, 1967,

05,33 hit. or. A41h 43 U.S Cl. 223-51 1 Claim ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE My invention has for its object a garment-ironing or treating machine of the type including a dummy or the like forming body made of a porous and yielding fabric and and arrangement projecting hot air and steam under slight pressure into said forming body after the garment to be ironed has been laid over the latter.

All known machines of said type rest on a supporting surface the dummy or forming body being above the air heating and steam injecting means. The drawbacks of such known machines are numerous. On the one hand, they are bulky and occupy much floor space which is objectionable in small premises and leads to difiiculties asfar as the cleanliness of the floor is concerned. On the other hand, they are generally somewhat heavy and cumbersome and their cost price is comparatively high. Furthermore, it is essential with such machines to infiate the forming body with hot air to introduce steam and to then resume the introduction of hot air in order to dry the garment. This involves three successive independent operations for the treatment of a garment.

Furthermore, the known machines used for heating air and injecting steam cannot avoid the condensation of steam so that the garments are generally wetted to some extent, which increases the loss in time required by the drying with hot air.

My invention has for its object to avoid said drawback and provide an improved ironing machine including a forming body made of a yielding and porous fabric, together with means feeding hot air and steam under slight pressure into said forming body, after fitting the garment to be ironed over said forming body.

My improved ironing machine shows the following advantageous features.

:The arrangement feeding hot air and steam into the forming body is mounted on the ceiling or secured to a wall of the premises by brackets, while the actual forming body is suspended freely underneath said arrangement, feeding air and steam simultaneously into said forming body.

The hot air and steam are fed out of a casing enclosing in its upper portion a fan propelling air through its delivery pipe controlled by an adjustable damper. Said delivery pipe opens through a revolvable transversely slidable connection, so that it is possible to introduce into the latter forming bodies having different npper sections, as required by the operation considered.

The air heating and steam-injecting means include a first heat exchanger constituted of a tube of comparatively large diameter, throughout the length of which there extends a tube of a smaller diameter, the larger tube being fed by steam from a boiler and beyond said tube there is a further duct leading into a container provided with two outlets located respectively at the highest and at the lowest point thereof. The outlet at the highest point is fed through an electrically controlled valve or through a suitable cock, the smaller tube of said first heat exchanger opening into a steam injector, while the other outlet of the container is connected with a second heat exchanger adapted to heat the air from the fan and constituted by at least one coiled tube or worm forming a number of coils provided with fins and opening through a drain cock and a retaining flap valve into a drain vat.

By way of example and with a view to furthering the understanding of the following description, there is illustrated in the accompanying drawings a preferred embodiment of my invention.

In said drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the complete machine according to my invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic view of the air heating and steam injecting means of said machine.

Referring to said drawings, the machine includes an upper casing 1 made of sheet metal and housing a fan 2 belt driven by an electric motor 3. An air-controlling damper 4 extending inside the delivery channel of the fan 2 allows adjusting the throughput of air by actuating the cable 6 by rod 5. The system including the fan 2 and motor 3 rests on insulating blocks 7 so as to damp all noises and vibrations. Angle bars 8 are provided at the upper end of the casing which serve as supports and attaching means for the whole arrangement. The casing also carries a detachable lower frame 9, enclosing airheating and steam-injecting means. The neck of the dummy or forming body 11 is secured to said lower frame 9 by means of a flange 12 sliding inside a revolvable connection 13. The sliding flange 12 allows inserting forms 11 having various neck sizes depending on the type of garment to be treated.

The air-heating and steam-injecting .means include a first heat exchanger (FIG. 2) constituted by a large diameter tube 14 fed at 15 with steam from a boiler.

The steam passes out of said tube 14 through a channel 16 into a container 17, which latter is provided with two outlets; the first outlet starts from the highest point of container 17 and opens into a pipe 21 of a smaller diameter extending longitudinally through. the tube 14 and terminating in a steam ejector 19, the passage of steam through said pipe 21 being controlled by an electrically controlled valve 20.

The steam ejected from 19 is thus superheated, since it is heated by the live steam entering the tube 14 through the inlet 15. The second outlet 22 of container 17 passing out of the lower part of the container 17 collects a mixture of steam and condensate which passes through a second heat exchanger 23 constituted by a large number of coils formed by a tube with outer fins, leading into a drain vat which is not illustrated, through a drain cock 24 and a non-return valve 25. The heat exchanger 23 serves for the heating of the air passing from the fan and flowing over said heat exchanger. The drain cock 24 ensures an automatic exhaust of the water condensing in the different pipes without any steam being allowed to pass out of the arrangement.

When it is desired to iron a jacket for instance, it is sufiicient to fit it on the form 11 and to send simultaneously hot air and steam into the latter. Said form is thus inflated and the garment is speedily finished by reason of the inner tensioning of the jacket: produced by the form. Experience has shown that the mere fact of suspending the form and sending air and steam downwardly provides a large saving of time during operation, since it is possible to send air and steam simultaneously. This is the case even with the use of steam injectors of the type used with prior machines and for which a simultaneous application of air and steam would be impossible, such prior machines requiring three successive different operations as mentioned, to wit: injection of air, injection of steam and reinjection of hot air. In order to avoid any condensation of water inside the form, it is preferable to resort to air heating and steam-injecting means of the type disclosed hereinabove.

The atmosphere of the premises is considerably improved by my invention, since the suspended arrangement described allows sucking out the steam released by the ironed garments.

What I claim is:

1. A garment-treating machine comprising a form of a porous and yielding fabric adapted to receive a garment, a casing above the form and to the underside of which the form is suspended, means securing the casing to a wall or ceiling, means in the casing for feeding hot air and steam simultaneously into the form, a revolvable transversely slidable connection carried by the lower end of the casing and adapted to receive selectively one of a plurality of different suspended forms, and wherein the last-mentioned means includes a fan adapted to blow air into the form, a container adapted to carry steam, a large diameter tube through which steam is fed into said container and lying across the stream of air produced by the fan, a narrower tube extending longitudinally inside the large diameter tube to form a first heat exchanger with the latter, connected with the upper part of the container and the outer end of which enters the form to project steam thereinto and a second heat exchanger connected with the lower part of the container and constituted of a coiled fin-carrying tube extending across the stream of air produced by the fan.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS MERVIN STEIN, Primary Examiner G. V. LARKIN, Assistant Examiner Paris 223-51 X 

